ABSTRACT
Most authors have provided recommendations for cylindrical handle design in order to increase performance, avoid discomfort and cumulative stress disorders, but none of them considered optimal shape of the handle and no systemization of the knowledge was done at this field. Therefore most small companies, who do not employ an ergonomist, do not have the knowledge for proper implementation of ergonomic principles in tool handle design. As a result, the developed products have poor ergonomics or leave potential for improvement. To overcome these limitations, a decision support system is proposed which can provide competent advice on the handle design process and can generate optimal sized and shaped handle for a target population. Therefore new methodology was developed to generate optimal handle size and shape based on hand anthropometrics and magnetic resonance imaging. The resulting handles consider optimal diameters for each finger which maximizes the possible finger force exertion, comfort and contact area and thereby preventing many task related disorders. An increase of https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">25%https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429061943/2c936423-cf77-45da-a819-2deb9400929a/content/eq779.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> in contact area in comparison to an optimal cylindrical handle was measured, which effectively decreases overall contact pressure. Based on interviews, the subjective comfort rating is also increased. Proposed decision support system decreases the used time and therefore also money while designing a tool handle. The system allows development of optimal tool handles with almost no prior ergonomics knowledge, thereby no iterative design process is needed for the ergonomic analyses of the tool handle.
